"We're going to make bold moves, we're gonna be really hard to beat" - Transgender runner Nikki Hiltz on clinching silver at World Indoors

Nikki Hiltz recently reflected on winning the silver medal in the 1500m discipline at the World Indoor Athletics Championships.

Hiltz became the first American to win a medal in the discipline since Regina Jacobs clinched gold in 2003. They clocked their personal best at four minutes and 2.32 seconds, a fraction behind Ethiopia's Freweyni Hailu, who completed the race in four minutes and 1.46 seconds. Their time is third on the all-time list for the USA.

During an episode of the Citius Mag podcast, Hiltz opened up about their aspirations for the upcoming outdoor competitions and taking the momentum forward. They said:

“We’re here to medal… We're going to run fearless. We're going to be like Hobbs Kessler, who is 20 years old and led that whole thing or Emily (Mackay) in her first world champs and she's like, 'F**k it. I'm just going to take the lead.' We're going to make bold moves. We're gonna be really hard to beat.”

The 29-year-old moved from third place to second place in the final 100m of the event, racing past Emily Mackay, who finished third. Speaking about this leap in the final 100m, Hiltz said in the post-match conference:

“I talked to [the U.S. coach] about my plan, and he advised me to play it conservatively. He said 'You’re only going to have one bullet out there, so use it wisely.'”

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Tara Davis-Woodhall speaks out in support of Nikki Hiltz

American long jumper Tara-Devis Woodhall recently came out in support of Nikki Hiltz for continuing to participate in the women's division even after coming out as non-binary in 2021.

Hiltz, who is a six-time NCAA Divison 1 champion, recently took to her Instagram to educate fans about what being non-binary means. They wrote on their Instagram story:

“To anyone who may also have a 3.5 year old who is curious/ to any new followers: nonbinary to me simply means I don't identify as a man or a woman. I exist somewhere in between/ beyond those binaries. Genderfluid is another term I've often used to describe my gender. I use they/them as my pronouns."

Woodhall shared this story on her Instagram handle with some words of support for her colleague, with the caption:

“This is my friend Nikki! They're the best and you should respect them! If you don't respect them.. then GTFO MY PAGE!! I won't tolerate anything but love and respect.”

Nikki Hiltz has also urged fans and officials at various tournaments to get their pronouns correct.